The state of Nebraska will also commit $400,000 in tourism funds to help offset the feesGETTY IMAGES
Omaha residents have "pledged $750,000 in general funds to help cover" USA Swimming's $3.1M in fees for hosting and pool costs related to the '20 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, according to a front-page piece by Aaron Sanderford of the OMAHA WORLD-HERALD. The Omaha City Council this week voted to "make the second of three annual $250,000 payments to the Omaha Sports Commission for USA Swimming." The state of Nebraska will also commit $400,000 in "tourism funds" to help pay the fees. Omaha City Council member Rich Pahls indicated that city officials told the council the "money was needed to ensure that the Trials would still be held in Omaha after Mutual of Ohama scaled back its support" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 5/16). Mutual of Omaha cut ties with USA Swimming in '16, the same year Omaha "hosted the quadrennial event for the third consecutive time." Omaha Sports Commission Exec Dir Josh Todd said that the city's funding is "helping offset a drop in sponsorships and donations that often accompanies hosting repeated events in a city" (AP, 5/16).
WHERE IT BELONGS: Omaha-based KMTV-CBS' Phil Bergman noted Gold Medal-winning U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky was in town this week ahead of the Trials and said, "Omaha puts on a show. It's 14,000 people watching us cheering us on and in many ways it's a more demanding and stressful meet for us than the Olympic games." Ledecky added, "Omaha has become synonymous as the home for the Olympic trials. People say I've qualified for Omaha or I'm going to Omaha and you know they're talking about Olympic trials. Everyone in the U.S. knows what swimming means for us" (3NEWSNOW.com, 5/15).
